Uttarakhand, 15th June 2023: Before granting permission for any public assembly or congregation, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal instructed the authorities to determine whether it could encourage violence and disturb the peace. “We direct the state to take whatever steps are necessary in this regard to fulfil its constitutional obligation.”
The court ordered the state government to take long-term peacekeeping measures. It emphasised that the state’s primary responsibility is maintaining law and order and preventing loss of life and property.
Authorities denied permission for the maha panchayat on Tuesday, while posters threatening Muslim shopkeepers to close their shops and leave the state by June 15 appeared in Purola. On Thursday, no maha panchayat was held in Purola, and right-wing extremists instead staged a symbolic protest
The Association for the Protection of Civil Rights, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), filed a petition with the Supreme Court this week against the maha panchayat because the organisers did not cancel the assembly despite the refusal of permission. On June 18, Muslim organisations in Dehradun held separate maha panchayats.
The Supreme Court denied the NGO’s appeal for an urgent hearing on Wednesday. It condemned “short-circuiting” the judicial process and directed the petitioner to approach the Uttarakhand high court first.
Shahrukh Alam, who represented the petitioner, cited past Supreme Court directions to tighten down on hate speech and stated that the maha panchayat was convened, stating that a certain population must depart by June 15.
